Naismith Trophy goes Down Under, hits all the hot spots in Melbs

MELBOURNE (Australia) - One of world's top basketball countries, Australia, and Victoria's coastal capital, Melbourne, played host to the Trophy Tour, presented by J9.

The visit was on August 13-14, with plenty of photos taken at famous locations. The trophy also appeared on television.

One popular, well-known location was Hosier Lane, Melbourne's most-celebrated laneway for street art.

Hosier Lane

Hosier Lane's cobbled length draws camera-wielding crowds to its colorful canvas of graffiti, stencils and art installations.

The changing subject matter at Hosier Lane runs from political to counter-cultural, spiced with irreverent humor

The trophy was photographed in front of Flinders Street Station (below). The second busiest train station in Australia, Flinders Street Station opened in 1854.

Flinders Street Station

When tourists visit Melbourne, they usually visit Luna Park, so naturally the trophy was displayed in front of the historic amusement park.

Luna Park

Luna Park, located on the foreshore of Port Phillip Bay in St Kilda, Melbourne, opened at the end of 1912 and has been operating almost continuously ever since.

Another well-known spot in Melbourne is Brighton Bathing Box (below) on Dendy Street Beach in Brighton, where one finds 93 beach huts.

Numerous Australia fans (below) also seized the opportunity to have their photographs taken with the trophy when it was taken to the Rod Laver Arena, when the Boomers played Venezuela in a World Cup warmup game.

The trophy was on hand at the Rod Laver Arena when Australia played Venezuela

FIBA Hall of Famer Andrew Gaze (below) of Australia made sure the trophy got plenty of exposure by carrying it onto the set of the Fox television program "Bounce".

FIBA